 

 

Mapping the Centuries 

 

Pre-Workshop Information 

 

Outline: 

 

This session blends local history and mapping skills. Your pupils will investigate large 
floor maps from 1760, 1880 and the present day to discover some of the major features 
of our area. The workshop will explore why features in the borough have developed the 
way they have and go away with some very interesting stories about weird and 
wonderful happenings. Chronological ordering and grid referencing will be used 
throughout the session. 

 

Duration: 1.5 hours 

 

Links with Units of Study: 

 

. National Curriculum Areas: Geography, History, Local Studies 
. QCA Geography: Unit 1. Around our school - the local area. 
. QCA Geography: Unit 6: Investigating our local area 
. QCA History: Unit 12: How did life change in our locality in Victorian times? 
. QCA History: Unit 18: What was it like to live here in the past? 


 

 

Please note, with prior notice this session can be adapted to reflect one of the above 
units of study more heavily than the others to make the session as relevant as possible 
to what pupils are studying at the time, please do contact us if you think we could 
related this session to something you are studying in school. 

 

Aims and Learning Objectives: 

 

The session will provide children with the opportunities to: 

 

. explore maps of an area close to their school 
. develop their map skills by identifying key features 
. use their speaking and listening skills and practice their ability to share and 
take turns 
. develop their understanding of the passing of time in one locality 
. develop their vocabulary relating to the passing of time, housing and natural 
features 
. contribute individually to a whole class project 


 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

What we expect: 

 

 

. Whilst museum education staff will run the session, support in the 
classroom is required in order to minimise the risks involved with the 
session items, enforce the schools behaviour policy and ensure 
artefacts are handled appropriately. 


 

. Your institution will reimburse the museum for the cost of any 
item/items that needs to be replaced due to loss/theft/breakage (through 
inappropriate behaviour) during the programme. 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

Mapping the Centuries 

 

Pre-Workshop Activity Ideas 

 

History 

 

. Ask children to think about the house they live in and places they visit in the local 
area, when was their house or school built and how does this contracts to the 
style of other buildings. Look at photographs of different buildings and natural 
features around where they live. 
. Look for street and area names on their way to school. How do they think places 
got their names? 


 

Geography 

 

. How has the borough developed in the way it has, think about natural features 
such as the river Wandle and the land (is it flat of hilly, would it have had rich or 
poor soil) what would the advantages or disadvantages of these features been in 
relation to defence against invaders, sustaining the inhabitants (food water, 
shelter etc.) 


 

Art 

 

. Create a 3D map of your local area using paint, card, and recycled materials or 
paper mach including the key historical, and geographical features of the area 
such as the town hall, river Wandle and Springfield Hospital. 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

Mapping the Centuries 

 

Post Workshop Resource Pack 

 

 

We very much hope you enjoyed the museum workshop and we would be very grateful 
to hear your views on this or other elements of the educational services of the museum. 
If you have any comments or concerns that have not been addressed in our evaluation, 
please contact us at bookings@wandsworthmuseum.co.uk. 

 

This resource pack is designed to support you and your pupils after participation in the 
Mapping the Centuries workshop. Wherever possible we have tried to keep 
information relevant to the local area. 

 

 

 

 

Please feel free to contact us should you have any further enquiries about the content of 
this resource pack or Wandsworth in relation to the themes addressed in this workshop. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

Rocques 1760 Map. 

 

Themes include, buildings, transport, land use and place names. 

 

 C:\Users\Educator\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.Word\Roque section.tif


 


 

 

 

Stanfords 1880 Map. 

 

Themes include, land use, industry, railways and roads. 

 

 C:\Users\Educator\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.Word\Wandsworth Stafford Map.tif


 


 

 

 

Modern Ordnance Survey Map. 

 

Themes include, roads, tubes, parks and homes 

 

 

 

 


 

 

Modern Stories 

 

Hunt for.... The River Wandle 

wandle.jpg 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In May 2011 The Wandle Trust decided to do a clean-up of the River Wandle in 
Earlsfield, in 1 day they found: 

 

 44 tyres, 13 metal pipes, 6 rubber pipes, 4 corrugated plastic sheets, 4 carpets, 3 
mattresses, 3 metal cylinders, 3 trellises, 2 industrial bolts of fabric, 2 sheets of wire 
mesh, 2 pillows, 2 ghetto blasters, 2 tricycles, 2 pushchairs, 2 car seats, 2 coconuts, 1 
motor bike, 1 safe, 1 car battery, 1 bucket, 1 lamp post, 1 kitchen sink, 1 bedhead, 1 
metal trolley, 1 television, 1 gas canister, 1 toilet, 1 heater, 1 football, 1 washing 
machine plus around 80 bags of assorted other rubbish 

 

 

Hunt for.... Dr Johnson Avenue 

 

This street was named after the famous Dr 
Samuel Johnson, who was the man to write the 
first ever dictionary. 

E:\may 2010\tooting\johnson460.jpg 


 

 


 

 

 

 

Hunt for.... Balham Tube Station 

 

balham tube station 


The Northern Line was built 80 
years ago but in 1940 saw one 
of the worse bomb disasters of 
the Second World War. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hunt for.... Huguenot Cemetery 

 

The front of the building shows the crest of 
Wandsworth. 

E:\may 2010\wandsworth\w crest.jpg 


Can you see the tears of the Huguenots? 

These are to remind us how it must have felt for the 
Huguenots to leave their homes in France and come 
here 350 years ago. 

 

 

Hunt for.... Southside 

 

Southside shopping centre opened in 1971 and was 
very fashionable at the time. 

E:\may 2010\wandsworth\southside.jpg 


The builders went on to make lots of the same 
buildings in other places in the country. 

 

grey hound.jpg
Before Southside 
shopping centre was built, dogs used to 
race around a track here. 


 

 

 

Stories from the 1800s 

 

Hunt for.... Drouets Asylum 

 

 

Around the time that Victoria 
became Queen, a man called 
Alfred Drouet set up a home for 
poor children at the Broadway. 

drouet asylum t7 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hunt for.... Drouets Asylum 

 

 

E:\may 2010\tooting\victorian man.jpg
Mr Drouet did not spend enough money on the 
children in the home and it became a horrible 
place to live. 118 children died of a disease from 
the water. 

 

Mr Drouet was found guilty of the children's 
murder but later released. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

Hunt for.... Wandsworth Prison 

 

child prisoner.jpg
In Victorian times, there were child prisoners in 
Wandsworth prison. 

 

Prison records show that George Davey, aged 10 
was imprisoned and given 1 month hard labour for 
stealing two rabbits. 

 

 

 

priory house murder B10
Hunt for.... The Priory 

 

 

The Priory was the location of a famous 
and unsolved murder of a rich lawyer. 
After getting married to a lady called 
Florence he was mysteriously poisoned 
and to this day no one knows who killed 
him. 

 Priory House B10


 

 

Hunt for.... Clapham Road 

E:\may 2010\tooting\leno.jpg 


This man was called Dan Leno. 

He was very poor when he was born but became the 
highest paid entertainer in the world and lived in 
Clapham Road. 


 

 

 

Stories from the 1700s 

 

Hunt for.... Bleak Hall 

 

 

C:\Users\Educator\Desktop\images to put in\180px-Thomascubitt.png
Find the building called Bleak Hall. Bleak Hall was a 
large house and farm rented by Mr Thomas Cubitt. 

 

Thomas Cubitt was in charge of making 
Buckingham Palace larger for Queen Victoria. 

 

 

 

 

 

Hunt for.... Clapham Common North Side 

 

E:\may 2010\balham\pepys.jpg
Samuel Pepys was famous for writing about the Fire 
of London. 

 

Did you know he lived on Clapham Common North 
Side when Wandsworth would have looked like this? 

 

 

 

Hunt for. Garratt Lane 

 

It was tradition to elect strange people as the 
Mayor of Garratt. 

DSCF2969.JPG 


Sir Harry Dinsdale became the Mayor in 1796. 

He described himself as an Emperor, which is why 
he is holding a sword and a crown. 


 

 

 

Hunt for  Putney Heath 

 

During the 18th Century there was a 
real danger of meeting a highway man 
on Putney Heath. 

Facts bk.pdf - Adobe Reader.bmp 


The main road from London to 
Portsmouth ran across the Heath 
which meant valuable objects and 
wealthy people were often travelling 
across it. 

 

 

This picture shows a highwayman 
called William Page robbing a 
gentleman on Putney Heath. 

 

 

The body of a famous highway man 
called Jerry Abershawe was hung on 
Putney Heath as a lesson to others. 

 

 

 

Hunt for. Putney Bridge 

 

old putney bridge.jpg 


The first Putney Bridge was 
made of wood. 

It was very important because it 
was one of the few places it 
was possible to cross the River 
Thames. 


 

 

 

Hunt for... Wimbledon Common 

 

Wimbledon Common was a popular 
place to fight duels. 

windmill002.jpg 


This was a way to sort out an 
argument by each man firing a pistol 
at the other. 

 

In 1841 one of the last duels in 
England took place on Wimbledon 
Common between two soldiers. 

 

Luckily the local miller, who was also 
a policeman, saw the event and 
arrested the two men. 

 

 

Hunt for... A Tight-Rope Walker 

 

 

genieve002.jpg
This picture shows Madam 
Genevieve. She tried to walk 
across the Thames on a tight-
rope in 1861. 

Unfortunately she fell off when 
her tight-rope began to collapse 
and broke her leg. 


 

 

Hunt for... Battersea Park 

 

In Victorian Britain many 
children suffered from a 
disease called tuberculosis 
which made them too weak to 
go to school. 

Z:\06 Museum Projects\Projects\Education Development\F. Design\2 Concept Design & Interpretive Planning\Pilot and Prototype Sessions 2009\08 Mapping the Centuries\Research\Honor photos\TB school005.jpg
In Battersea Park an open air 
school was started so children 
with tuberculosis could have 
fresh air and regular rests. 

 

 

 

Hunt For. Battersea Gas Works 

Facts Wandsworth004.pdf - Adobe Reader.bmp 


 

It was possible to buy gas here so cheaply that 
people would often come with giant balloons. 

When the balloons were filled with gas they would 
rise into the air. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hunt for... Battersea Fields 

 

duel cartoon.jpg
Battersea Fields were a popular place 
to fight duels. 

This was a way to sort out an 
argument by each man firing a pistol at 
the other. 

 

This picture shows the Duke of 
Wellington, a famous military man, 
shooting at his opponent. 


 

 

Hunt for. The Upper Mill 

 

 

http://www.foxearth.org.uk/Vernon/GtBardfieldWatermill.GIF
There were mills all along the river at 
this time. Find the one where Southside 
shopping centre is now. 

 

It was called The Upper Mill and treated 
leather and then made oil. 

 

 

 

Hunt for.... Features of Southfields 

 

 

Today there is an actual town called 
Southfields but what did the place used 
to be? 

 

What was across the road from it that is 
quite interesting? 


 

Transport 

 

Bridges 

 

Putney Bridge dates back to 1729, and therefore can be seen in all three maps. It was 
originally a wooden structure with a toll house on each side. The presence of the bridge 
increased the amount of coach travel in and around this area at this time. Merchants 
would use the bridge to travel from the south into Westminster as it was one of the only 
points to cross the Thames by coach. Although improvements to the wooden structure 
were contemplated over the years it remained the same until Bazalgette1886. 

 

Wandsworth Bridge, opened in 1873, is thought to have been poorly designed and 
poorly constructed resulting in it having much less traffic than its counterpart in Putney. 
It was originally tolled but as of 1880 authorities decided to make passage over the 
bridge free of charge. In 1940 the present bridge was constructed. 

 

There is thought to have been a bridge across the river Wandle (now in Wandsworth 
High Street) since medieval times. The first record of a stone structure in this location is 
in 1569. 

 

The First Railway 

 

The Surrey Iron Railway  the worlds first public railway  opened in 1803. It ran from 
Croydon to Wandsworth, close to the route of the river Wandle. It was built to transport 
the products of the Wandle mills to Wandsworth, where goods would be then shipped 
along the Thames to London. The railway was designed to carry horse-drawn vehicles 
and was open for use by anyone, on payment of a toll. Unfortunately it was not a 
financial success and, from the 1830s, had to compete with the new stream railways. 
The Surrey Iron Railway Company went out of business in 1846. 

 

Trams 

 

Trams were quite controversial when they were introduced into the borough in the 
1880s. Before public transport, people would have travelled by horse drawn coaches 
but trams suddenly allowed the working classes to travel more easily. In addition to 
concerns about the noise they created some people worried that trams would mean that 
poorer people would move out of the overcrowded industrial areas further away from 
their places of work. The use of trams in the borough was halted in the 1950s. 

 

Heliport 

 

Today Battersea has the busiest heliport in the capital, opened in 1959 the helipad can 
accommodate up to 12,000 landings a year. Depending on the type of vehicle each 
landing costs between 350 and 1,500. 

 

 

 


 

Land Use 

 

Roques map of the borough in 1760 shows that the majority of land was being used for 
agriculture. Crops would have included oats, wheat, rye and barley although there 
would have also been land dedicated to cattle. This map shows a large field running the 
length of West Hill, sitting south of the road illustrating the origin of the name 
Southfields. It shows the location of the current museum on the edge of North Field. At 
the time of this map the landscape of the borough would have been dominated by mills, 
particularly around the area that is now dominated by Southside shopping centre and 
associated development. 

 

By the time Stanford had produced his map in 1880, the population of Wandsworth had 
grown from 28,000 in 1851 to 92,000 and the land was being increasingly used for 
housing. People flocked to the area because of local industries provided the potential 
for employment. Charles Booths map of London through categories of wealth in 1898 
showed that to the East of the borough people tended to be fairly comfortable while 
residents to the west were more likely to be well-to-do. Poorer areas tended to be 
along the Thames, grouped around the railway or along the Wandle valley. 

 

The last map in the workshop shows Wandsworth as it appears today, it show the first 
Arndale development in the country but shows no signs of the Greyhound Track that 
had been there previously. It shows the effect of the Underground system on the area 
but will soon be out of date if the Northern Line is extended to Nine Elms to 
accommodate the development of Battersea Power Station. Overall it acts as a clear 
testament to just how much the borough has changed in the last 250 years. 

 

Rivers 

 

Five rivers flow through or round the Borough of Wandsworth. The majority of these are 
now hidden under or behind modern buildings and roads 

 

The Thames lies on the Northern edge of the Borough. It has provided a vital link to 
London for centuries. 

 

 1. Beverley Brook divides the parishes of Putney and Barnes. 

 2. The Graveney forms the boundary between Tooting and Mitcham. 

 3. Falcom Brook flows through Balham, Tooting and Battersea. 

4.The river Wandle which runs through Wandsworth providing water for 
industries from Saxon times. 

 

 

 

 


 

 

The Villages of Wandsworth 

 

Balham 

 

Balham lies between the parishes of Clapham and Streatham on the old Roman road of 
Stane Street. It remained a small farming community up until the 18th century when 
wealthy merchants began to build estates that were an easy reach of London. 

 

New commuter links to London furthered the urban expansion of Balham when the 
Pimlico and Crystal Palace Railway opened in 1856. The opening of Balham station 
changed the demographics of the area as the town gravitated southwards towards the 
station. This change is evident when comparing the Rocque 1760 map and Stanford 
1880 map. Residential and commercial developments continued to grow from the street 
patterns made visible by Stanford and still survive today. 

 

Battersea 

 

Battersea has become one of the most densely populated areas in the Borough. Back in 
Anglo-Saxon England it was just a single estate which was granted in 693 to the nuns of 
Barking. The land in Battersea was extremely fertile lending itself well to the occupation 
of market gardening. The Market Gardens are still visible on Stanfords map (1880) and 
lie in-between York Road and the railway line. Lavender and asparagus was common 
and corn was ground in the mills which lined the river. 

 

The industrial transformation from Rocques (1760) to Stanfords (1880) map is perhaps 
the most significant. Industries that arrived include Prices Candle factory which opened 
in 1843 and then the famous Battersea Power Station in June 1933. From 1792 to 
1891, the population of Battersea grew from 2,160 to 150,458. 

 

 

Earlsfield 

 

Earlsfield lies on the ancient road between Upper Tooting and Wandsworth, occupying 
land east of the River Wandle. Rocques 1760 map shows that during the 18th century 
the area consisted of open fields and was predominantly agricultural with the exception 
of a small amount of industry along the Wandle which ran parallel to Garratt Lane. 
Some farm buildings are marked on the map near Burntwood Lane. 

 

The Nine Elms to Basingstoke line was built in the 1830s and the train line is clear on 
Stanfords 1880 map. Earlsfield Station opened in 1884 and as a result, urban 
development in Earlsfield was slower and fields and crops were still common at the 
beginning of the 20th century. 

 

 

 

 


 

Putney 

 

The ancient village of Putney became an obvious dwelling for settlers as the river bank 
at this point was naturally higher than any other along the Thames and was therefore 
less prone to flooding. It became a natural landing stage for travellers who, arriving by 
boat, would then continue their journey to London by carriage. 

 

Putney had been used as a river crossing from as early as the 13th century. By the 17th 
century London was growing at such a rapid pace that proposals to build a bridge were 
put forward to parliament in 1687. However it was not until 1729 that the first bridge was 
erected. The bridge is visible on Rocques 1747 map and on the 1760 map used in the 
workshop, as is Putney High Street and the rapidly growing village. In contrast, 
Stanfords 1880 map shows the development of Putney into a busy London suburb with 
the opening of the new railway station in 1846, which linked Richmond to Battersea. 

 

Roehampton 

 

Roehampton appears in 14th century records as a tiny hamlet which later developed into 
a small village largely populated by farmers. In Tudor and Stuart England the land, now 
known as Richmond park, was used as a royal hunting ground. A portion of the land 
was gifted by Charles I to Sir Richard Weston, Chancellor of the Exchequer and later 
Lord Treasurer of England. Weston built a mansion on the land, followed shortly by 
others. Many of these large houses still stand and can be seen on Rocques 1760 map. 
They are now occupied by institutions such as Queen Marys Hospital and Roehampton 
Institute. 

 

Unlike other villages in the borough no dramatic changes are evident by the time of 
Stanfords 1880 map and the spread of suburbia did not reach Roehampton until the 
mid-20th century. The modern ordnance survey map of the area shows the development 
of 1950s council building such as the Alton and Dover House Estates. 

 

Tooting 

 

Tooting began as a series of settlements next to the River Graveney and along the 
Roman road from London to Chichester. By the time in which the cartographer Rocque 
had produced his maps of London, published in 1747, separate villages of Tooting Bec 
and Tooting Graveney had merged out of the existing settlements. During this time a 
number of wealthy merchants built mansions in the area, in order to have a country 
home within easy reach of London. 

 

In the 19th century further urbanisation can be identified through the London maps of 
Edward Stanford. New roads and buildings have sprung up to cover the Tooting 
countryside. Developments in communication networks, including railways, omnibus 
routes which ran as far south as Gipsy Hill and post office buildings are all in use. 

 

Wandsworth 

 

Archaeological finds at the mouth of the River Wandle at Wandsworth indicate the 
presence of Iron Age people although they do not necessarily indicate a settlement 


 

 

 

existed here. 140 years before Rocques map (1760) a plan of All Farthing Estate 
shows that buildings in the town were mainly large homes belonging to wealthy 
merchants. By 1660 most of these houses were built of brick and tile although it 
appears that many of the poor were still living in thatched homes. While Wandsworth 
town saw rapid development in the 1700s the hamlet of Garret remained relatively 
unchanged until the mid 1800s. The census of 1851 recorded that virtually all the 
people living in Garret were labourers. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

Mapping the Centuries 

 

Post Workshop Activity Suggestions 

 

 

 

DT/History 

 

. Make your own model houses 

From the discussion during the session the children may like to develop their 
ideas on future buildings and you could go on to use recycled material and 
add them to a place on the map. 

 

Drama/History 

 

. Freeze Frames/ Mini Drama 

Split the class into groups of 3-5 and ask each group to act out or freeze frame 
the inhabitants of a different area of the borough during different time periods e.g. 

1. Garratt 1720 

2. Tooting Graveney 1747 

3. Roehampton 1450 

 

Literacy 

. Ask the class to write a letter describing a particular area of the borough to a 
family member living in a different part of the country. They could imagine they 
are a well-educated person who has just moved to the area for work. Ask the 
children to think about what the area would look like, what jobs would most of the 
people living in that area have, what amenities were accessible and how the 
locals have travelled (e.g. in a horse drawn carriage, on horseback or on foot. 
(possibly by train from 1803 or tram from 1880). 

Plot the route on an old map to see how they could have got into Central London 
at that time 

 

Further Resources: 

 

. You may find the following website useful if you are looking at different kinds 
of buildings: www.greatbuildings.com 


 

. You may also find more information using the Local History Service and 
archive at Battersea Library: 
http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/info/200064/local_history_and_heritage/238/heritage_and_local_history/1 



